Modi concedes defeat in Bihar elections

PATNA, India: Narendra Modi conceded defeat in a key election in Bihar, one of India’s biggest and poorest states, on Sunday in a major blow for the prime minister.

“Had a telephone conversation with Shri @NitishKumar & congratulated him on the victory,” Modi said on Twitter of his opponent, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Election Commission results showed Modi’s Hindu nationalist party leading in only 52 seats in the 243-seat state assembly compared to 158 for Kumar’s coalition of regional parties, as vote counting continues

Courtesy: Times of India

Modi has mounted a no-holds barred campaign in Bihar, addressing some 30 rallies and promising voters billions of dollars for development in a state with some of India’s highest malnutrition and illiteracy levels.

The election for the state assembly was seen as a critical test of Modi’s popularity after he stormed to power at national polls in May 2014 promising sweeping reforms to revive the faltering economy. Modi is up against an unlikely alliance of two powerful local leaders, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his predecessor Lalu Prasad Yadav, who has served time in prison for corruption.